1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in display signs, and more particularly, to remotely controlled electronically operable display signs in which a display on a sign may be changed at will from a remote source, and methods of displaying information in such manner that the sign is used as an instrument to enhance the image of a product or service.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
Display signs are used in a wide variety of industries, frequently as promotional and advertising aids. Thus, many retail stores will employ display signs in the front of their stores or elsewhere featuring products which are being sold or otherwise offered by that establishment. Display signs are also frequently used for traffic control by various municipalities and governmental agencies.
Essentially all display signs presently available are static in that they carry a substrate with a message or design thereon and which is to be conveyed, as for example, a paper sheet having information thereon for display and which may be frequently mounted behind a transparent member such as a sheet of glass.
In many cases, the poster or other display sheet may be mounted within a frame having a light source mounted therein. In this case, the front face of the sheet may be lighted from lights located along portions of the periphery of the frame. In some cases, when using a somewhat transparent or translucent sheet, back lighting may also be employed.
The cost of preparing display signs made with paper and paper-board substrates can be quite substantial. Initially, the art work must be prepared often times by hand, although certain computer aids for purposes of preparing the drawing may be available. Nevertheless, preparation of the drawing is labor intensive. Thereafter, multi-color printing is usually required in order to complete the preparation of the paper or paper-board sign or display. These various steps, as indicated, are labor intensive and therefore materially add to the overall costs of preparing a sign or display, particularly when made of a paper or paper-board material.
In addition to the foregoing, there are also costs involved in the shipping or transport of these signs. Generally, they cannot be folded or bent or they would otherwise be unsuitable for use. As a result, special precautions and shipping containers must be provided for transport of the paper or paper-board substrate signs or displays.
There have also been display signs which use a frame and a source of light along with a glass or plexiglass sheet having an image or other information literally formed on the sheet, as for example, by means of glass etching, masking, or the like. However, with this type of display, when it is necessary or desirable to change the display in the sign, it is necessary to prepare a new piece of glass or plexiglass or otherwise a masking on a rear surface thereof having other information presented thereon.
Here again, the cost of preparing an etched glass sheet can be quite substantial. The same also holds true of the outer transparent sheets with masks on the rear surface thereof to create a design or display with that sheet. Again, because of the frailty of these sheets, substantial precautions must be taken for the transport or shipment of these sheets.
There is presently no display sign capable of having information changed thereon as quickly as information can be changed on the screen of a computer monitor. Moreover, and independently thereof, there is presently no effective display sign which can be changed from a remote location.
It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide an electronic display sign which uses a flat panel display image and which can readily be changed in accordance with electronic signals applied thereto.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic display sign of the type stated which can be altered rapidly through the use of a computer or otherwise through an image scanner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic display sign of the type stated which can be controlled from a remote source and the display on the sign can be changed at will from that remote source.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a display sign of the type stated which completely eliminates the need for interchangeable substrates bearing the information to be displayed.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an electronic display sign and a method of altering a display on a sign electronically and without using interchangeable substrates bearing information to be displayed.
It is another salient object of the present invention to provide a method of displaying information by generating that information from a remote source and transmitting that information to a display sign.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a unique circuit enabling operation of a display sign from a remote source.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method of displaying information on the screen of the display sign, potentially along with other external action, such as the addition of sound or the like, to enhance a product or a service on the display sign.
It is yet another object of the present of the invention to provide a display sign of the type stated which can be used to provide value plus advertising and which also enables the use of animation with respect to any message displayed thereon.
With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.
The present invention relates in general terms to a display system including a display sign which is electronically accessible from a remote source and which enables the almost automatic change of a display pursuant to control of an operator at the remote source. In a broad sense, the display system of the present invention comprises a display sign having a display panel thereon as well as display generating means at the remote source for generating a display to be displayed on that display panel. The display is actually generated in the form of an electrical signal and the system comprises a transmitting means for transmitting the electrical signal representing the display to the display panel of that display sign.
The present invention also provides a method of generating a display on a display sign from a remote source. The method involves the steps of generating the display and then transmitting that display to the display sign in the form of electrical signals representing the display. The display sign is provided with electronics using the received electrical signal to recreate the generated display and present same on the display panel.
In one embodiment of the invention, the means for transmitting the display is an electrical conductor connected between the display sign and the display generating means at the remote source. In another embodiment of the invention, the means for transmitting the display is a wireless transmission means, such as by means of radio frequency transmission, satellite transmission, or the like.
In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for generating the display comprises an image generating means which enables the generation of initial image forming part of the display and a temporary storage for temporarily storing that image. Editing means are also provided for adding material to or otherwise modifying the image. Thereafter, a permanent storage is provided to enable storage of the generated display in electrical format, at least until such time as transmission thereof to the display sign.
In still a more preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises a scanning means for scanning a particular image and converting the image into electrical signals representative thereof. The image is then stored in the temporary storage. A keyboard input may be connected to that temporary storage for introducing information through a keyboard input. In addition, means is provided for adding other copy material. Thereafter, all of the material added can be edited by an operator to form a display. The display is then stored in a permanent storage.
It is also possible to generate a display, or to otherwise add information to a display, or otherwise alter a display by means of information introduced over the world wide web. Thus, various inputs can be made from a variety of sources and all of which can be processed and added to or otherwise used to modify a proposed image, as may be desired.
At a predetermined time, the stored display can then be transmitted to a storage in the sign. Moreover, a plurality of different displays can be stored at the remote source and these displays can be sequentially transmitted to the display sign. In this way, an operator can manually or automatically control the generation of a plurality of desired displays in a predetermined time sequence.
The present invention not only allows for the display to be generated at the sign from a remote source, but it also allows for a plurality of displays to be presented in a desired format and in a desired predetermined time arrangement, as aforesaid. As a result, there is no need to use hard copy displays, such as pre-printed paper displays. Furthermore, minor changes can be electronically made in a display as, for example, minor price changes can be made without the necessity of re-printing.
The display sign is also of a unique construction in that it comprises means for controlling certain atmospheric conditions and, particularly, temperature in the display sign. Furthermore, an interference filter is formed on the surface of the display panel to preclude excess heat generation within the display sign. The display panel is preferably a plasma display, as hereinafter described in more detail.
The display sign preferably includes an outer housing which may be provided with a removable front face or so-called xe2x80x9ccoverxe2x80x9d. The front face is provided with an enlarged opening in order to enable a display panel to appear through that opening. A transparent protective sheet may be disposed over the display panel.
The housing is in the form of a rectangularly shaped box, although it may adopt other shapes. The major components which enable the display including the display panel are preferably mounted on a separate chassis to enable easy and convenient assembly of the display sign. The separate chassis is secured through the display box to a mounting station, such as a display stand. In this way, only one having authorized access to the interior of the display housing can disconnect the chassis and the mounting station.
The chassis in the preferred embodiment includes a power supply for operating the plasma display panel. In addition, the chassis may also comprise a second power supply for operation of a processor or computer within the housing. The computer is designed for connection to the temporary storage at the remote source and will receive generated displays in electrical signal format. The computer is programed to recreate those displays at the sign and generate the same through the plasma display panel. For this purpose, the computer is also mounted on the chassis.
The housing is preferably provided with a plurality of openings extending primarily throughout the side wall thereof. Moreover, venting fans may also be provided for venting heated air in the housing to the exterior.
The foregoing objects and the advantages of this invention have been met and fulfilled by this system and method which has been briefly described in the general description. However, the invention will now be described in more detail in the following detailed description and in the accompanying drawings. Nevertheless, it is to be understood that these drawings and the following detailed description are only set forth for purposes of illustrating the general principles of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the accompanying drawings and the detailed description are not to be taken in a limiting sense.